Seventeen-year-old Ashley Spencer learned what true horror was the night a serial killer invaded her home and brutally murdered her father ... read full description
reviews
Jan 17, 2011
Crystal
rated it: 
Wow! What a puzzle. This book is literally a 1000 piece puzzle and each little piece has its own surprise. Margolin had my attention on the very first page. By page 50, there were already two or three murder suspects. There was not one chapter I thought to be dull or boring. Sleeping Beauty would make an excellent reading group pick. Definitely lots to talk about. The characters were outstanding. Each well developed with their own little significance to the story. Ashley was amazing. She was sma
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Jul 06, 2010
Jerry
rated it: 
Tenth thriller's plot almost too twisty to believe...
We have read and generally enjoyed all nine of Margolin's previous outings, and find that this lawyer turned writer can craft a suspenseful story line along with the best of them. The books that have left us a little cold were ones where the author overpopulates with so many events and characters, doing justice to few of them, that hardly a reader can keep it all straight. Fortunately, in "Beauty", we have a cast of just More...
We have read and generally enjoyed all nine of Margolin's previous outings, and find that this lawyer turned writer can craft a suspenseful story line along with the best of them. The books that have left us a little cold were ones where the author overpopulates with so many events and characters, doing justice to few of them, that hardly a reader can keep it all straight. Fortunately, in "Beauty", we have a cast of just More...
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Apr 29, 2010
Victoria
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This is an average mystery novel. The plot was interesting and certainly kept me turning pages, but it was overall predictable... I liked the characters and found them to be sympathetic as well. The real downside of this novel was the writing style. It has been probably 8 years since I last read a Margolin novel, and I did not remember the style being so simplistic, with errors in verb tense. While the short sentences did set the book at a faster pace, sometimes it completely pulled me out of th
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Dec 26, 2011
Joyce
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A serial killer breaks into a family home in the middle of the night. He kills the father by repeatedly stabbing him, assaults, rapes and kills a girl spending the night with their teen aged daughter who manages to escape from him. This is how the novel opens. The girl who escapes transfers to an elite school after her father's death. There, while running one evening, she hears screams and when investigating, sees her Mother's body and that of the school's Dean in the Boathouse. She also se
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Feb 15, 2011
Linda
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High school junior Ashley Spencer has invited her best friend to sleep over. Neither girl can foresee the horrific events that will take place that night. A masked killer enters the home, viciously murdering Ashley's father and friend, but Ashley herself manages to get away. She and her mother try to pick up the pieces, but her mother is also killed. When a suspect is arrested, Ashley finally feels safe, but upon his escape at his preliminary hearing, she flees to Europe, where she lives for fi
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Oct 14, 2011
Ben
rated it: 
Phillip Margolin wrote us a simplistic murder mystery with a few plot twists as to who-done-it and why who-done-it. Mediocre characters, mediocre clues, mediocre staging, mediocre dialog, mediocre emotions, mediocre situations, am I sounding repetitive and pedestrian? It's all to prove my point. Sleeping Beauty is more like sleeping puddles, someone steps into a muddy puddle and a few seconds later the puddle settles into a lifeless sheen.
Oh yeah, there are murders and a rape, arrest More...
Oh yeah, there are murders and a rape, arrest More...
Jun 30, 2009
Lara
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While the plot of Sleeping Beauty was intriguing the writing was flat. I could get lost in the plot but when I stepped back and really looked at the prose, it was just so...simple, I guess. The sentences were short and basic. The character development was bland and narrated instead of demonstrated. Again, the plot was interesting and moved it along. A true crime novel about a solved murder sparks a new investigation and more horrors against the heroine who survived the murders the first time. I
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May 27, 2009
Mary JL
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Jan 27, 2008
Dan
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This is a book review about pleasant surprises, cherished longtime friends, and new genres. See, a couple weeks ago, I got together with one of my oldest good friends, Leah Beil. Leah and I went to high school together and I could write a book, let alone a blog entry, on our friendship and the concept that we’ve known each other for two decades.
After some cheerful catch-up chat, a -great- movie enjoyed together, and a stop at Barnes and Noble, where Leah used to work, she made me an in More...
After some cheerful catch-up chat, a -great- movie enjoyed together, and a stop at Barnes and Noble, where Leah used to work, she made me an in More...
Jul 16, 2011
Nancy
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Maybe I've read too many mystery-thrillers lately because this one just didn't seem that exciting to me. I can usually guess the killer after about half the story, but this time it seemed obvious who the bad guy was almost from the beginning. Still, I kept reading to confirm that my guess was correct. I like the way that Margolin keeps the story going and will continue to read his books even though I wouldn't put Sleeping Beauty on my favorites list.
Nov 22, 2007
Kathy
rated it:
From a blog post I wrote in 2005:
I got hooked on Phillip Margolin when I read Gone, But Not Forgotten. Spoiler alert - the bad guy actually got away which made me crazy and nervous. I don't do well with serial killer books where the villian isn't dead or locked up at the end of the story. It just creeps me out but that's a problem with my imagination that tends to run wild.
Margolin's latest bad guy is a serial rapist/murderer who attacks a young high school girl and More...
I got hooked on Phillip Margolin when I read Gone, But Not Forgotten. Spoiler alert - the bad guy actually got away which made me crazy and nervous. I don't do well with serial killer books where the villian isn't dead or locked up at the end of the story. It just creeps me out but that's a problem with my imagination that tends to run wild.
Margolin's latest bad guy is a serial rapist/murderer who attacks a young high school girl and More...
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Jul 31, 2009
Karen
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Just like his other books. I felt like I was always one nibble away from the whole truth being revealed. And just like his other books, I was suspecting everyone...and was dismissing everyone all the time. This tale was started in the present, then went back into the past, then to the present, then back into the past...seamlessly. It's like he was giving me tidbits on a need-to-know basis...and I ate it all up.
Jul 28, 2011
Lianne
rated it:
This is my first book by Phillip Margolin. I enjoyed the plot with the many twists. I do, however, have to agree with a couple other reviews when they mentioned how simplistic the writing was. I'd like to try another of his books before I make any final decisions about whether I'll continue with more or not.
Jun 16, 2011
Smitha
rated it:
was a quick-paced exciting read like many other mysteries I have read so far. Proud to say that I picked out the winner by the first half of the book. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes mysteries involving young women trying to overcome killers of their parents, with a few twists and turns thrown in between.
Feb 05, 2008
July
rated it:
A Brillant Book!
I couldn't sleep, I couldn't put this book down. It was riveting right from the beginning!!
Ashley's life is horribly changed when at 17 her home is broken into her father is brutaly murdered. Her best friend Tanya is raped and murdered. And Ashley barely escapes with her life after climbing out a window and running to a neighbor. Her mother who wasn't at home that night but was at work convinces Ashley months later to go to a elite private school where tragedy follows More...
I couldn't sleep, I couldn't put this book down. It was riveting right from the beginning!!
Ashley's life is horribly changed when at 17 her home is broken into her father is brutaly murdered. Her best friend Tanya is raped and murdered. And Ashley barely escapes with her life after climbing out a window and running to a neighbor. Her mother who wasn't at home that night but was at work convinces Ashley months later to go to a elite private school where tragedy follows More...
Feb 09, 2012
Joanne
rated it:
I am sure I have read some of Margolin's books before and thought he was a pretty good author. I was disappointed in this book, his writing style seemed immature...I doubt I will read any more of his books.
May 13, 2011
Nicole
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There were lots of twists and I got a little confused with the time changes back and forth. I figured out who the real killer was about half way through but there were some other things thrown in at the end that I didn't expect.
Apr 06, 2009
Natalie
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I listened to this on CD in the car. This was a really good book right from the start. This is a murder mystery book about a serial killer. I sometimes sat in my car just to hear the end of a chapter.
Jul 16, 2011
Amber
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17 year old Ashley has lived through a horrible crime to only relive it again later. Just who did murder her father and friend and why do they want her? Awesome book with many twists and turns!
Dec 12, 2009
Kelly
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I made it to page 200 before quitting this book, after almost quitting a time or two earlier on. It wasn't horrible - I pushed through it because the plot was good, I liked the settings, and there were a handful of creepy/suspenseful moments that I enjoyed. The writing style, however, really annoyed me from the beginning. Many of the words, thoughts, and actions of the characters felt unrealistic to me... definitely not behavior you would expect after losing loved ones to the hands of a seria
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Jan 06, 2010
Raven
rated it:
Took me a while to finish this book mostly because I was wry of a non sci-fi book. The beginning campured me right away but than the next few chapters we're slow up until about page 150. The ending was a complete shocker! The last 200 pages were absolutely terrific! I would reccommend this to anybody, even sci-fi junkies.
Mar 31, 2010
Marcy
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Lots of murder suspects and many plot twists made this serial killer mystery a quick, enjoyable read. I erroneously pegged one character and didn't see the final evil-doer coming. It's nice to be surprised!
Jan 26, 2010
Joe
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Very Good; teen escapes serial killer, only to have family members killed; she plays a key role in sending him to prison - but is it the right person?
Jul 16, 2009
Karen
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The mystery was OK but I never really felt like I got close to the characters or got scared by the danger . . .and I had figured out whodunit! Oh well . .
Nov 07, 2011
Jmrathbone
rated it:
There wasn't much to this book. Except for PROOF POSITIVE I have found Margolin's books to be no better than average. I think I'll give up on him.
Dec 13, 2010
Jintana
rated it:
สนุกดีค่ะ เรื่องเกี่ยวกับคดีฆ่าข่มขืนที่เหยื่อรายหนึ่งรอดชีวิตซึ่งก็คือนางเอกตอนเป็นวัยรุ่นแล้วนำไปสู่ปมเงื่อนที่ซับซ้อนในภายหลังเกี่ยวกับชาติกำเนิดของนางเอก
Aug 04, 2011
Marianne
rated it:
Real whodunit! Great story, great writing. Surprise, surprise, surprise, kept me guessing for most of the book, which I could not put down.
Jun 25, 2011
Serbma
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Pretty good, didn't keep me up at night or anything...not page turning or terrified as it is advertised. But still, a pretty good tale.
Apr 11, 2011
Savannah
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I think this book is scary and exciting. People who can`t handle murder scenes though, STAY AWAY!! A really good book so far! I love it.
Jan 23, 2011
Jules
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I read this while I was in 9th grade. I wasn't that into mystery books but this book kept me interested. I would totally read this again.
